With 40 miles of coastline Northumberland is home to arguably the most beautiful beaches in England and the good news is that nearly all of them welcome our pooches to make paw prints in the sand all year round! Your dog will have an absolute blast, racing across golden sands, splashing in the sea and playing hide and seek in the sand dunes. So if you’re looking for a dog friendly beach in Northumberland read on to find out our nine top picks.
Bamburgh Beach
Overlooked by the majestic castle Bamburgh Beach is dog friendly all year round. The beach is really stunning with miles of golden sand fringed by sand dunes which my pooches are obsessed by! There is a small free car park at the end of The Wynding and pay and display parking at the castle.
Bamburgh has several dog friendly pubs and cafes and Bamburgh Castle also welcomes dogs in the grounds and is well worth a visit. We visited in January and again in February and it was fairly quiet, but I can imagine in the summer months it gets busy. No issue for doggy beach fun though as the beach is so big but maybe best to get there early if you want to park for free! My spaniels rate it as unmissable!
Warkworth
The golden sands of Warkworth Beach are another paradise on earth for pooches and is around a mile from the must visit historic village of Warkworth. Once again there are no restrictions for dogs on Warkworth beach at any time of year and there is ample parking and toilets just a short stroll from the sands. You could choose to walk a section of the Northumberland Coastal Path from here or pop into Warkworth itself and visit the stunning and dog friendly castle or have a pit stop at one of the dog friendly pubs or cafes in the village.
Alnmouth Beach
My dogs really love visiting Alnmouth Beach, mostly because they have a thing about jumping on an off the old concrete anti-tank blocks that line the beach. It has a large car park and it is obviously really popular because it was the busiest of all the beaches we visited, and as the girls love meeting new furry friends, I feel it is near the top of their list to return to.
The one thing I would say is that the tides are very strong at Alnmouth and some local dog walkers that I chatted to there advised me to be cautious about letting the dogs go in the water especially when the tide is going out.
Druridge Bay
With seven miles of sandy beach fringed by dunes I don’t think you will find a better beach to let your dogs have a blast and burn off their energy. In fact, of all of Northumberland’s great dog friendly beaches if I had to pick a favourite it would be this one. Swimming and splashing in the sea were on the agenda here for my spaniels and
There are several places to park along the coast, but we prefer to park at Druridge Bay Country Park where there is a pay & display car park and also toilets and a cafe. The big pull for me though is the beautiful lake where you can paws for a picnic, if like us you prefer not to get sand in your sandwiches!
Beadnell Bay
Beadnell Bay is absolutely stunning and being the only west facing harbour on the East Coast of England it is understandably a destination beach for photographers at sunset. The beach is dog friendly all year round, but it does have some seasonal restrictions around breeding time, where dogs have to be kept on a lead or at heel.
There is a pay and display car park (although the first hour is free) and toilets here and the beach is easily accessible.
Craster
No idea why but my spaniels love rock pooling and I feel a bit embarrassed to admit that Maya has actually caught a crab on more than one occasion – dogs eh! Anyway, the point is that Craster beach is quite rocky so it would not be my number one choice to take dogs to for a romp on the sands but it has a fabulous atmosphere and a great dog friendly pub so it is well worth a visit. It is also the starting point for a great walk to my next pick Embleton Bay. Don’t miss out on visiting dog friendly Dunstanburgh Castle along the way if you do it!
Embleton Bay
Embleton Bay is an absolutely gorgeous golden sand beach which is guarded by the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle.
We walked there from Craster but apparently you can park in the ancient village itself and take a short walk down to the shore.
The beach was almost deserted when we visited so it could be one that nervous dogs might enjoy.
Amble
So, there is not one but two dog friendly beaches in Amble, the Amble Links Beach and Little Shore (pictured below) and can you believe it there are no dog restrictions at either. Amble really is a fabulous place to visit for a doggy day out and has a really cosmopolitan and vibrant atmosphere. There are no shortage of dog friendly pubs and cafes in Amble so you can really make a doggy day out of a visit here.
Cresswell Beach
Most of us can’t afford to take our dogs to the Carribean but the white golden sands and turquoise sea at Cresswell Beach will give them the chance to experience the vibe! There’s a really dog friendly cafe at Cresswell Beach too – The Drift Cafe. And should you need some dog accessories or toys during your beach trip, Mountain Dog, who stock a massive range, including our favourites, Ruffwear, are just a couple of miles away in Ashington.
You really are spoilt for choice when it comes to taking your dog to the beach in Northumberland and there are many more great locations along the coast where your dogs can have the time of their lives, but I have chosen these as our favourites based on how much fun my own dogs had, and I’m not going to lie the ones I enjoyed visiting the most too.
Hope you all have a blast on some of the dog friendly beaches in Northumberland!
Love Sal, Maya & Lucia xxx